The Unpayable Debt

Chapter 20

XX

"What's that?"

Tuck had found something upon the ground. He picked it up to get a better look at it.

Gisborne walked over to see what he was looking at. He instantly recognised his mother's locket.

"It's Isabella's. My mother gave it to her when she was a child. She worshipped her and... she cherished this." He was genuinely surprised and confused to see the locket in Tuck's hand.

Robin overheard the conversation and approached them both. "Well she wouldn't give this to just anyone now would she? So what's it doing here?"

Guy could see that both were now staring at him. "You think this is mine?"

"Well, she's your sister Guy." Robin was as suspicious as ever of the former Master of Arms.

"A sister that's betrayed me many times and tried to kill me."

Tuck was studying Guy's face intently. "If there is any doubt about your loyalty..."

"Well there isn't... would I have told you it was Isabella's if there was?"

"Well if it's not yours then whose is it?" Robin asked impatiently.

Gisborne had no idea. For all he knew, it was probably Robin's, after all; he'd been getting pretty cosy with Isabella before she switched her allegiance to Prince John. He was about to give voice to this thought but then decided not to, it was bad enough that they suspected him, a fight with Locksley wasn't really going to help matters.

And besides, when had he been alone long enough to go behind anyone's back? Since the day he'd arrived in camp, he'd been under constant scrutiny - Christ, he couldn't even go shag his girlfriend without somebody bloody barging in on them.

No, Locksley could think what he wanted, Guy knew it wasn't his.

He turned his back to them both and placed the Locket on Robin's bedroll. He waited a moment and upon hearing nothing from either man behind him, he walked off.

**********

Sarah could use many words to describe life at the outlaws camp but 'dull' was certainly not one of them. Every day brought new surprises.

On this particular day, Sarah was gobsmacked to find Kate curled up on the floor beside Robin's bedroll crying. She wondered if she was hallucinating, had Much put some dodgy mushrooms in the food perhaps?

Kate crying? That couldn't be possible... She had never seen the woman display any other emotion other than anger (granted, that was of course, Kate's default setting around Guy) and so it somehow seemed impossible to now witness her tears.

"Kate?" Sarah slowly approached only to have the blond turn her back directly.

"Leave me alone!"

"Kate, what is it?" She was careful to keep her distance.

Kate turned back to face her abruptly; pulling herself to her feet, and from the angry look on her face Sarah gathered that this was not to be a pleasant conversation. "It's all his fault!" Her voice was venomous.

"Sorry?"

"Your lover!"

Oh... Here we go...

"If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't be here!"

"Who?"

"Isabella!" Kate threw something on the ground at Sarah's feet. Sarah wondered for a second if it might not be better to get the hell out of there: the woman was seething and any conversation about Guy or Isabella was sure not to go well. She warily bent down to pick the object up, her eyes never leaving Kate for a second.